The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-03-22
AsTATEsMANLIKE LETTER TO
RANDOLPH CHURCHILL
From the Most Rev. John Joseph
Lynch, Archbishop Of Toronto,
Who Argues
FORJUsTICE TO THgOPPRESsED
IRISH PEASANTRY,
And Calls Attention to the Strength
OF the Irish In America
and Australia.

puollbnes TIE lOlloWlDg:
ST. MIcHAM's PALACE,
ToRosTo, March IS, 1871
To the Editor Of the Herald;
send you my letter to Lord
Churchill, asking you to publish 1t.
Yours,
JOHN JOSEPH LYNCH,
Archbishop of Toronto:
To the Right Hon. Randolph Churchill;
Ny DEAR LORD CHURcHILL-Yon
must recollect a prelate from Canada
who paid a visit to the Vice Regal
Lodge at Dublin, In 1879, to thank
your venerable and noble mother, the
Duchess Of Marlborough, for her
kindness, liherality and charity toward
the starving Irish. had the honor
then Of a ehort acquaintance with
Your Lordship. On that occasion /
predicted you would become a great
statesman. The twiDkling OF your
brilliant eyes, however, portrayed You
would be little FESTIVE for q few
years. / hsve assiduously watched
your course since then, sometimes
with regret (Bellaet) at other times
with Joy, bu always with great hope.
The mo,ivts Of your reeigning
a very honorable and important
post in the Cabinet of England proved
the honor, vslor and self reepect OF a
great mind. Your motto appears to
be "Fiat Jusiitia Ruat Coelum." On
this noble disposition OF yours l de-
pend much. Now, my dear Lord
Randolph, the object OF this letter Is
TO beg you to study the Irish question,
root and branch, not in the spirit oil
party, but "justice to all men," l am
confident from your character OF mp
Brightness aud honor that you will even
for this once DIN Mr.. Gladstone and
bring peace and prosperity to Ireland
and effect more stable union between
England and Ireland.
Your Lordship cannot but feel the
dlsgraceful contradiction involved in
the present attitude Of the British
Parliament and Ireland, aud no won
der you are away from It at present.
At the other hand, admitting the in.
Justice OF landlord exaclions and the
utter inability OF the tenant 10 meet
them lin consequence OF the low
prices OF produce), the British House
passes q law appointing q commission
to regulate rent, which results In their
being reduced in many instances TO
one-hali or one-third Of their
former amount. On the other
hand the machinery OF that
tribunal being 30 cumbersome and
slow that forty years would scarcely
suffice for the hearing OF all the cases.
The landlords are avAiling themselves
of this delay and are pushing evictions
by wholesale, and the British Parlia-
ment in stultilying itself prostitutes
the power OF the law, which ehould be
sacred, by granting the I'D OF the po-
lice and soldiers to assist sherifls and
bailiffs In evicting Thousands Of unfor-
tunate people, young and old, in the
most Indictment season Of the year,
amid tho screams and cries OF starving
women and children, and the curses
OF enraged men, thus helping the land
appointed by the government had in
parallel cases pronounced hsgrantly
unjust.
Does this accord with the true phi.
losophy of Just and legitimate gov
ernment2 Cannot even little children
OF Ireland see the double dealing and
false position OF their rulers, whose
laws should command respect, not
contempt. When authority abilities
itself people will not be persuaded to
respect it..
But authority should 80 conduct it.
self % to command the respect OF all
right minded men. There should not
be in the gods OF Ireland euCh mean
deception "a Condemnng the land
lords for exaCting exOrbitant rents
aud then lending them all the force Of
British bayonets and rifles to exact
these rents. "Whom the gods wish
TO destroy they stultify." The rule of
injustice is q hard and hopeless task.
Let the landlords receive fair rent, not
oppressive, and lot them restore 10 The
poor tenants the overpayment OF past
years. There are unmislakable signs
in England Of growing volcano,
which trnst Englieh prudence will
avert. The embers have been very
unwisely iostered there. To fete Carl
baldi and company Is to canoniEe
revolution in its worst form. Will
the time ever come when insularity
will begin to have some regard for the
honest public opinion Of the world,
civilized as well unoivilizsd, which is
today Mortified at the rein OF the in
human spectacle of ovictions, whose
only equivalents, according to Eng
lands greatest stateman OF past or
modern times, are death warrantsP
How the English journals would
with hypocritical zeal gloat over and
publish the inhumanity of such deeds
II these ho,rid deeds were perpe-
trated by a Catholic government.
How the Pope would be called
monster OF iniquity, murderer Of his
people, and to be dealt with as euch II
during his temporal power he had
permitted one towns land TO BIO de-
populated. Such wholesale and in.
human evictions are only heard OF
under the British crown. Signs Of
high civilization forsooth ! Her NEST
gracious Maj ETY. need not be grateful
60 her responsible ministers for dis
grazing her otherwise glorious reign
OF fifty years by the periodical OPP
preston OF the poor and starving Irish
AID finishing il up by more than
savage acts OF cruelty, and the viola
ton of all true law and order. / shall
pass over the fearful prosecutions in
fic cd on the Irith for conscience
sake. But the ruins OF our churches,
morasteries, colleges, hospitals, etc,
that stud the land are the stern wit
nesses to all future generations Of the
worst pagan cruelties practiced on the
Catholic Irish to rob them OF their
true faith. Conscience triumphs in
the end. Now let us take another
view OF the Irish wrongs. The
Irish element in the United
States is becoming more and
more powerful. Your English papers
sometimes remark, when states.
man in this country speaks disparRg.
ingly Of England that he is trying TO
catch the Irish vote. BY that they
acknowledge that the Irish vote is a
great factor in America, and the came
may be said Of Australia and other